


The Beast in Me

by ravenously



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, I mean not really but yknow, Monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 18:10:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5675635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenously/pseuds/ravenously
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey crashed in the middle of a forest, broken and bloodied. She was certain she was going to die out here, lost and forgotten forever, but then a savior found her; a savior that happened to be an eight-foot tall woman who seemed to be some sort of werewolf or beast or-</p><p>It didn't matter. She was certain she was going to die at the hands of this beast. </p><p>Instead, she was saved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rey could feel the grime of the past few days caked to her skin. It felt like she was wearing too much makeup, only she could _smell_ the dirt of it., could feel each layer of dirt and blood within every pore of her face. It was this detail alone that plagued her, made her uncomfortable. 

At least it was a better reminder than the searing pain in the rest of her body.

Each step was fire down her leg- She was pretty sure she’d broken it in the fall.

Her thoughts were wavery and loose, not quite latching on to anything more than _walk, keep walking, survive._ Her mouth felt like a desert, sandpaper rough and drier than the sun.

Between the blood lost in the fall from the various bruises and the giant gash down her left leg, the dehydration, and the lack of sleep, Rey was certain she was out of it. Was certain she’d pass out any second now. She’d been walking for what felt like a day, maybe two, just _trying_ to find some semblance of civilization.

She rested against the trunk of a tree, the cool bark refreshing against her fever-hot skin. It wasn’t warm enough for her to be this hot; maybe her leg was getting infected. Maybe-

For the first time, Rey thought that she might not make it out of this forest.

There was no phones, no GPS, no one to look for her. No one to help her when wolves were drawn to the smell of her injured body.

Rey shook after a few minutes, pulling herself from the tree. She wobbled as she stepped away, already missing the coolness and the rough texture on her skin. “I’m… No. I’m going to find shelter. I’m- wolves be damned. I’ll get out of here.” She knew her voice was hoarse and weak, slurring out with no finesse; it hurt to speak, like every other word was going to coat her throat in a wash of blood.

At least there’d be moisture, then.

She shook the thoughts from her mind and began walking again. Just keep moving, just _survive_ , keep travelling north. Something would show up soon. A road, perhaps, even if it was dirt. A hunter’s perch, maybe. A _house_. Hope. That’s all she had inside her. It’s all she needed, and she’d make it and-

Something was barking. Several somethings. At least two, if not three distinct sounds. She couldn’t just be hallucinating, either- the birds in the clearing had gone silent in their chatter, and a rabbit a hundred yards off had its ears perked and its eyes wide, ready to dart away.

Rey _thought_ wolves were nocturnal, but maybe- Maybe they made an exception to young, injured women in the forest. Maybe she was doomed to be wolf-food forever and maybe-

“Quiet!” A deep, husky voice, farther away than the constant barking. “I’ve heard you, now shut your mouths!” It sounded feminine, but- Wrong. Like an octave was off and there was something else speaking through the voice with it.

Dogs don’t have voices. Maybe that was a hallucination. Maybe- She was so scared she was shaking, but maybe she was delirious, pretending she would be saved before the wolves would maul her to death. She was scared and to cope, her mind was supplying her with the best case scenario- being saved by some dashing woman from the perilous jaws of wild wolves.

The undergrowth shook.

Rey sucked in a breath and stepped backwards, holding back a shriek when her broken leg brushed against a bush.

There was a tense moment; Rey could feel the sweat on every inch of her skin, how tasty she probably smelled to the wolves. Her heart was in her throat, practically, beating steadily and hard; it had to be making audible sounds at this point.

And then the undergrowth parted and three variously patterned mutts came dashing out, barking up a ferocious storm and running to circle around Rey, sniffing and snuffling. She almost wept with relief. 

Dogs. It was just _dogs_. Domesticated dogs who weren’t even threatening, just curious. She wouldn’t be eaten by mutts, and if there were dogs, then there had to be- There had to be civilization somewhere. And if there were dogs then the voice must have been real, must have come from a real woman, who-

“Honestly, you three are going to wake up the entire forest with this racket. And-” She paused as she finally came into full view, looking just as shocked as Rey, who couldn’t do anything but fall backwards on her ass, her leg flaring up into pain again, a small squeak leaving her. She was a real woman but she- She was-

Was a monster.

She had to be at least eight feet tall, though it was hard to tell- He legs arched at odd angles, pushing her lower than her full height. She looked as though she’d be just as comfortable loping on four legs as she would be walking upright. Fur covered her body and-

Maybe wolves would maul her. Because- Rey’s savior was a wolf. Or at least half of one.

She had a muzzle, and her hands had long, sharp claws. A tail and ears and-

The only human identifier was her eyes. They were bright and intelligent, amused and curious all at once. And then she opened her mouth, ears flicking upwards, and Rey couldn’t help but let out a hysteric laugh, because this beast looked as though she were about to laugh with wickedly sharp teeth.

She was going to die by the captivating beast.

The beast narrowed her eyes, suddenly looking annoyed. The mane of fur around her face, trailing down her back, seemed to puff out as she took a step forward, head cocked. “Are you… scared of me?”

Rey shivered and tried to fidget, then let out a strained whimper when that hit at her leg. It was swollen and red, the cut oozing blood again. Of course she was scared; she was dying and a beast, although beautiful in her own way, was staring her down. Ready for lunch.

“You shouldn’t be.” She said after a few moments, and came closer to Rey, bending down on her haunches to take stock of how hurt she was. She busied herself for a couple minutes, occasionally making this low growling sound deep in her throat, as though she were sighing or huffing out her displeasure at all of Rey’s injuries. Though the claws on her hands were sharp and dangerous, her touches were careful, soft, and in another world, Rey would have enjoyed it.

Instead, she was frozen, her breath caught in the back of her throat as she was inspected. The beast smelled better than she anticipated- her wild, dream-like thoughts almost expected raw and rotten meat on her breath, a distinct mutt-like oder. But instead, she smelled _clean_. Of lavender.

It was so surprising, she let out another hysterical laugh, which made the creature’s ears perk once more. And then a smile broke out across the creature’s muzzle, and with a huff and careful movements, she picked Rey up.

She was mindful of her bruises and cuts, of her leg. Rey was pushed carefully into her arms, bridal style, and she could only mumble out, “Hope y’don’t kill me, miss… Your arms are awfully soft.”

There was a surprised huff of laughter, and perhaps a quiet, reassuring, “I promise not to,” but Rey could have imagined that part, because the second she was in the creature’s arms comfortably, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander and shut down a little.

“I’ll be sure to fix you up.”

Her life was in the beast’s hands, now.


	2. Chapter 2

Phasma was careful to move slowly; the girl in her hands couldn’t be jostled too much without the fear of her leg lighting up in pain, and the various bruises and scratches shouldn’t be moved too much, either.

She was filthy- She must have been parading through the forest for days, and some of the mud and pollen clinging to her smelled like the fauna from miles off. It made Phasma’s nose wrinkle; they’d both need baths after this whole ordeal was settled. 

The girl fidgeted, whimpering a little. She didn’t seem to be so much as _sleeping_  as just too exhausted to stay properly conscious. Phasma couldn’t fault her; she must have been starving, dehydrated and weak from pain and days of walking. 

Phasma made sure to curl in her claws, only allowing the soft fur of her hands to touch the girl.

In complete honesty, Phasma was holding her as lightly as possible. She wasn’t certain how fragile the human was. It had been far too long since she had interacted with a human, and looking at the soft flesh and easily-bruised skin… She wouldn’t take chances.

She wouldn’t- She didn’t want to hurt the girl even more than she already was.

If that meant walking slowly and pulling the girl in close, letting her mumble to herself and eventually fall asleep, that was fine with her.

The dogs loped behind her, panting happily and occasionally brushing up against her legs to try and smell the girl. “Knock it off.” She snapped at them, and the smaller of the three, a ruddy mutt named Hux, backed off a bit, then reached in to snap at the lanky dog who just wouldn’t back off. At least one of her dogs behaved. “Kylo! Back!”

He huffed and whined but did as she commanded, rubbing his body across her legs. The grey splotched dog, Snoke (Or Snookie, when she was feeling affectionate), pushed at him. She rolled her eyes and pushed them both away; Kylo always demanded way more attention than what he needed. “Of course _you_ would get jealous over a half-dead girl. Go- Scout.” She received flicked back ears but they ran off ahead, barking and snapping at one another.

She huffed once they left, leaning down to nose at the girl’s neck, to check her pulse. She was- She’d be fine. She was in awful shape, but she’d heal after a few good meals and days of rest. That meant, though, that Phasma would have company. Company with a human who had appeared terrified of her. That would involve explanations and reassurances. Annoying.

Perhaps she could do with company, though. The farm was nice, and living out here had turned to be fruitful, but it could be lonely. The dogs were fine, but Phasma _wasn’t,_ actually,a dog. She didn’t have anyone to speak to, to be near. Which was fine normally.

But, looking down at this girl, calling back to the way she slurred words without even thinking about them, thinking to her wide, open eyes… Phasma couldn’t help but give a small shiver at the strange bout of excitement that began to run through her.

The dogs were laying in front of the door when she returned to her cabin. They sat up when she arrived, making soft whining noises until she opened the door and let them in.

She blinked, looking around the cabin. There weren’t- She didn’t have company, let alone much furniture. Fine. The girl could go in her bed. It was the one standard piece that she’d made sure to build, and it even had a mattress.

The woman looked so… small laid in the middle of her bed. It was the equivalent of a king; nothing else would fit Phasma. She huffed and pulled a thin blanket over the girl; she couldn’t do anything for her until she woke up, for fear of her waking up in the middle of Phasma tending to her and freaking out, causing even more damage.

No, she’d go and grab her supplies and wait for the woman to wake up.

She closed the bedroom door behind her softly, letting out a soft huff before moving through the kitchen and cupboards to find gauze and antiseptics, anything to help the girl heal faster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine my face at least once a day, when I realize that as the writer, I'm allowed to make any and all choices within the narrative. And thus, Snoke is Snookie the grey patterned dog.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [Tumblr](buckycurtis.tumblr.com)!
> 
> The title comes from a Johnny Cash song, [The Beast in Me.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8tGCVavS5s)


End file.
